sc-crop-weather South Carolina Weekly Weather and Crop Progress Report Released: July 11, 2011 Week Ending Date: July 10, 2011 Issue: SC-CW002711 GENERAL Much needed precipitation finally arrived in many areas of the State during the week ending July 10th, 2011. While the State average rainfall for the period was 1.3 inches, many areas that sorely needed rain saw over three inches due to intense thunderstorms in Columbia, Orangeburg, Florence and Charleston. These passing storms helped improve soil moisture conditions to 30% very short, 51% short and 19% adequate. High temperatures were present in the beginning of the week but cooled off towards the weekend with the passing of the storms. The State average temperature for the period was 2 degrees above normal, and there was an average of 6.3 days suitable for field work. FIELD CROPS Ninety-nine percent of CORN had silked but only 46% had doughed, far behind last year's pace and nine points behind the five year average. The crop had reached 11% maturity, but many growers reported anticipating either severely reduced yields or total crop failure. Conditions remained unfavorable at 42% very poor, 27% poor, 23% fair, and 8% good. Seventy percent of the COTTON crop had squared and 35% had set bolls by week's end. Conditions were 4% very poor, 13% poor, 48% fair, 34% good, and 1% excellent. Fifty-five percent of PEANUTS had pegged, still behind historical figures. Conditions improved slightly to 1% very poor, 9% poor, 50% fair, 38% good, and 2% excellent. SOYBEAN planting was 98% complete. Eighty-nine percent of the crop had emerged and 5% of the crop had started to bloom. Conditions were 7% very poor, 33% poor, 41% fair and 19% good. TOBACCO harvest continued with 14% of the crop harvested. Conditions remained nearly the same at 4% very poor, 20% poor, 43% fair, 32% good, and 1% excellent. OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST LIVESTOCK conditions improved slightly to 2% very poor, 13% poor, 45% fair, 39% good and 1% excellent. PASTURES were 21% very poor, 32% poor, 37% fair and 10% good. Ninety-eight percent of CUCUMBERS and 81% of SNAPBEANS had been harvested. Fifty-three percent of PEACHES had been harvested, continuing to exceed the five-year average. Conditions were 6% poor, 26% fair, 66% good and 2% excellent. Eighty percent of both CANTALOUPES and WATERMELONS had been harvested. TOMATO harvest was 87% complete. Crop Progress for Week Ending July 10, 2011 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg :: Crop and Stage : 2011 : 2010 :5-Yr Avg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Cantaloup, Harvested : 80 68 72 :: Peanuts, Pegged : 55 68 60 Corn, Silked : 99 99 97 :: Snapbeans, Fresh, Harvested : 81 80 90 Corn, Doughed : 46 72 55 :: Soybeans, Planted : 98 100 100 Corn, Matured : 11 5 2 :: Soybeans, Emerged : 89 97 95 Cotton, Squared : 70 67 62 :: Soybeans, Bloomed : 5 17 10 Cotton, Bolls Set : 35 16 10 :: Tobacco, Topped : 90 89 74 Cucumbers, Fresh, Harvested : 98 99 99 :: Tobacco, Harvested : 14 20 11 Hay, Other Hay, Harvested : 60 59 51 :: Tomatoes, Fresh, Harvested : 87 87 82 Peaches, Harvested : 53 47 46 :: Watermelons, Harvested : 80 71 64 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Condition for Week Ending July 10, 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent :: Crop :Very Poor: Poor : Fair : Good : Excellent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Percent :: : Percent : :: : Corn : 42 27 23 8 0 :: Peaches : 0 6 26 66 2 Cotton : 4 13 48 34 1 :: Peanuts : 1 9 50 38 2 Hay : 12 39 36 13 0 :: Soybeans : 7 33 41 19 0 Livestock : 2 13 45 39 1 :: Tobacco : 4 20 43 32 1 Pasture : 21 32 37 10 0 :: : --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- South Carolina Weekly Weather Summary for the Week Ending July 10, 2011 Hot, hazy conditions were observed early in the week. Chesterfield reached 99 degrees on Monday. Evening thunderstorms produced 1.50-inch rains at Lake Wylie and 1.31-inch rains at the Rock Hill Airport. Johnston, Bamberg and Pinopolis all peaked at 99 degrees on Tuesday. The 2.34 inches of rain that fell during a thunderstorm at Florence, on July 5, was the heaviest rain at that site since September 29, 2010. On Wednesday morning at 11:00 a.m., the Charleston AP reported reduced visibilities of 5 miles, due to smoke. On the same day at 2:47 p.m., FAA wind shear instruments at the Columbia Metro Airport recorded a 58 mph wind gust. Temperatures at the airport fell from 94 degrees at 2:00 p.m. to 76 degrees at 3:00 p.m. Afternoon storm activity was concentrated from the Midlands to the beaches with cloud tops soaring to 55 thousand feet. Kingstree measured 1.53 inches and Sandhill noted 1.35 inches. A pattern shift to a more tropical airmass developed on Thursday as deep layer southerly winds arrived. Heat and high humidity overspread the State. Thunderstorms over McCormick left 2.38 inches of rain on Friday. Flooding rains affected much of the central coast on Saturday. Streets were flooded in Georgetown and in parts of Dorchester and Charleston County. The N Inlet gage near Winyah Bay registered 3.06 inches. A National Weather Service trained spotter near Middleton Place measured 6.40 inches of rain. The East Cooper Airport received 2.79 inches of rain in one hour and the Charleston Airport measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 59 mph at 1:20 p.m. The week ended with spotty afternoon thundershowers and sweltering temperatures in the low to middle 90's. The State average temperature for the seven-day period was two degrees above normal. The highest official temperature reported was 100 degrees at Lake Wateree on July 5. The lowest official temperature reported was 64 degrees at Chesnee and long Creek on July 5. The heaviest official 24-hour rainfall reported was 3.75 inches at Bishopville ending at 7:00 a.m. on July 10. The State average rainfall for the period was 1.3 inches. SOIL: 4-inch depth soil temperature: Columbia 83 degrees, Charleston 86 degrees. RIVERS AND SURF: South Carolina river stages were below normal. Ocean water temperatures at Springmaid Pier Myrtle Beach were reported at 83 degrees. Precipitation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Location : Total : Total : Deviation : for Week : for 2011 : from Average ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greer : 1.23 24.15 -3.3 Anderson : 0.93 19.25 -6.3 Columbia : 3.47 22.01 -4.0 Orangeburg : 1.20 19.41 -6.6 Charlotte, NC : 1.35 21.82 -1.4 Augusta, GA : 0.04 18.32 -6.4 Florence : 3.16 17.32 -5.8 N Myrtle Beach : 0.45 16.58 -4.7 Charleston : 3.13 17.69 -7.8 Savannah, GA : 0.52 19.91 -4.9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekly rainfall totals this period ending midnight Sunday.